Streams of Mercy, never ceasing, call for songs of loudest praise

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singing through the pain

I don’t know if you have ever been in a choir gentle reader, but if you have you may understand this. There is a connection between a good director and his choir. It’s almost a relationship. And when the director moves on, away from a choir – for whatever reason – there is a grieving process.

Well, my church choir lost our director last week. Under really rotten circumstances. It was sudden. and it hurts.

Right before Christmas too.

Lovely.

Christmas is such a hard time of year to be hurting. Especially when you have to perform and help others to FEEL the good feelings that are supposed to be associated with this season. As a performer, you have to be emotionally open when you sing and right now most of us are clenching our teeth to keep from crying.

Makes it kinda difficult to emote, ya know?

Oh and in case you are wondering why I’m talking about this now, before Halloween. When I have such a huge hang-up about not doing anything Christmas-y too early? Well, because we were already working on Christmas music, one of the first comments from a fellow choir member when we found out about losing our director was “Well, now Christmas is going to suck”

um….yea. I thought. It is. ……oh crud.

But then I had to stop and really process that.

Christmas. the Celebration of the Birth of Christ was going to suck because of one man losing his job? a beloved and talented man, yes…..But dang it, this is NOT going to ruin Christmas.

Will it hurt sometimes to smile and sing? oh Yes. absolutely.

But there is a possibility that this year could turn out to be a very meaning-filled year for us. A chance to concentrate on God and His blessings with the strength born of desperation.

We NEED God to help us sing through Christmas this year. The ache in our hearts is instructive. It forces us to acknowledge just how much we need to keep our eyes turned to Christ. We are weak, but God is strong.

There is a great song, sung by Michael W. Smith that sort of encapsulates this for me. We are hurting. Tears are indeed falling. Violence has been done to our hearts. we SOOOOO need to hear from God. And in the midst of all this hurt, comes the celebration of Christ’s birth. The tiny baby, the tiny spark of hope and healing that will grow if we keep our eyes on HIM.

Thank you Jesus, for your timing and for your healing work that is already beginning. With absolute certainty, I claim your promise to speak to us and through us as a choir this season Lord. Bless us all. Every. Single. One.

Welcome to our world
(as performed by Michael W. Smith)

Tears are falling, hearts are breaking
How we need to hear from God
You’ve been promised, we’ve been waiting
Welcome holy child
Welcome holy child

Hope that you don’t mind our manger
How I wish we would have known
But long awaited holy stranger
Make yourself at home
Please make yourself at home

Bring your peace into our violence
Bid our hungry souls be filled
World now breaking heaven’s silence
Welcome to our world
Welcome to our world

Fragile fingers sent to heal us
Tender brow prepared for thorns
Tiny heart whose blood will save us
Unto us is born
Unto us is born

So wrap our injured flesh around you
Breathe our air and walk our sod
Rob our sin and make us holy
Perfect son of God
Welcome to our world.

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One thought on “singing through the pain”

I enjoyed this post.
God has asked me at a very poignant moment in my life if I would praise Him in my pain. In which I did. There is much blessing to be found in being able to praise in both the joy AND in the pain.

My your choir find their voice and sing out for His glory in the days ahead.

Hi. welcome to my blog and thanks for commenting. If you don’t mind my asking, what path brought you to my humble doorstep?

The most profound things God ever does in our lives are never convenient. Sometimes God wants us to fight for what He has a mind to give us. Remember, He gave Joshua and the Israelites the Promised Land then told them to go in there and fight for their place in it. Sometimes we have to fight traffic and drive around the church seven times to get to some Promise Land. (Beth Moore)